The present invention relates to a method for making absorbent garments such as diaper and, more particularly, to a method for attaching elastic flaps to such garments along opposite sides so as to be brought in close contact around the wearer's legs when put on.
In making of disposable diaper, elastic flaps have usually been formed on the opposite sides of an individual diaper by construction each elastic flap into a unique configuration or by selecting the material for the elastic flaps differing from those for a liquid-permeable topsheet and/or a liquid-impermeable backsheet of the diaper to achieve a high air-permeability of the elastic flaps. Thus, it is known to provide the diaper on the opposite sides thereof with the elastic flaps made of a sheet formed separately from the topsheet and/or the backsheet. In such a diaper, the absorbent cores have usually been interposed between the topsheet and the backsheet to form a main body of diaper and then the side flaps have been bonded to the topsheet and/or the backsheet on the opposite sides thereof.
However, the procedure in which, upon formation of the main body of diaper, the elastic flaps are bonded thereto sometimes prevents said bonding of the elastic flaps from being reliably and orderly achieved, because the main body of the diaper comprises a layered structure. As a result, not only the appearance is deteriorated but also the region of diaper occupied by the elastic flaps is subject to a tensile force higher than that exerted on the remaining region and, in an extreme case, the areas along which the elastic flaps are bonded to the main body of diaper may be torn, causing excretion leakage.
It is conceivable that, in order to assure said bonding, relatively large amount of adhesive is applied between the elastic flaps and the topsheet and/or the backsheet, or these components are welded together or adhesive is used with welding.
However, when the elastic flaps are bonded to at least a part of the topsheet, application of said relatively large amount of adhesive might disadvantageously result in that excessive adhesive exudes onto the outer surface, adversely affecting the wearer's skin. Furthermore, use of said welding might do damage to a part (i.e., said bonded areas) of the backsheet, since the backsheet is usually made of extremely thin plastic film having a relatively low melting point, such as polyethylene film.